A smattering of photos from our life here in Dordogne Valley — from our laundry rack to World School to wooded walks to a nearby Chateau. Click on any one image … and a larger gallery appears. Laundry … with reading boys in the background.

A newspaper that covers public radio and public television has published something about our year away. Here is a link to Current’s blurb: http://www.current.org/2012/08/aronson-promoted-at-frontline-npr-board-elections-lapin-joins-current-and-more/ And here’s the text: Jim...

“World School” has begun … and a shout-out to S, who is a rock star...

L’Eglise Paroissial de Beynac et Cazenac was constructed on the side of a limestone cliff in the thirteenth century to serve as a castle’s chapel. Parishioners entered through a wooden door in the transect. Turning left – east – they approached the altar. Turning right, they...

Within hours of arriving in southern France, I was on my hands and knees in the bathroom of our country home … cleaning up a toilet overflow. S was interpreting labels on French cleaning bottles and handing me paper towels. The boys were in a...

Sure, Usain Bolt is awesome. But this is awesomer … our entry in the Synchronized Sock Dancing Olympic competition:

So ALL the sunflowers in these endless fields are facing the sun. Lots of wonderful lessons to be drawn from that … especially during a quick stop during our long drive south to Dordogne. (On the iPod: Coldplay’s “Charlie...

Please join us for a few minutes of sounds from a nearby village market this morning. We go from chickens for sale (E noted that baby ducks and baby chickens cost less Euros than collared shirts), to a cheese maker who named her goats, to a flower lady with an infectious laugh, to W buying a...

Happy 72 years to the man who charted my balding...

We toured Omaha Beach today and, in our own way, tried to understand what happened there in June of 1944. In preparation for today’s walk, we’ve been listening to Stephen Ambrose read portions of his book “D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II.” This excerpt...

  I can hear the bells of Notre Dame off the red velvet walls of our hotel room. There is a cello luthier down the block. Also nearby is an architect who sells cardboard chairs that can both smarten a room and hold up a grown man. Art and artistry oozes from every rue in this city. So I...

A video goodbye to Iceland. So grateful for what has happened over the last two...

70 years for a good sleeper!

Please listen along as the guide from the boat Gardar explains how to look for whales on the...

We’ve come face to face with ANYWHERE over the last two days. Today in the artic sea beyond Iceland’s port city of Husavik, we were looking out over the many sides of a ship for whales. They could surface from ANYWHERE. A quite expansive ANYWHERE. Yesterday, we were stalking...

We met a man named Finbar in Seydisfjordur and I asked him if he was crazy. He laughed. He’d sailed around the world. Solo. Several times. Finbar gave us a generous tour of his 50-foot sailboat. As the boys say: “It was boss.” Full queen-size bed. Bathroom with shower. Living...

Our three goofballs worked out this performance during a few car rides. Booking slots are going fast. Please listen...

  The boys discovered a hiking path behind our campsite a few days ago that led to some peaks overlooking Iceland’s famous geysir (apparently, it’s the place where all other geysirs get their name). I sat on one of those peaks early one morning and watched the geysir spew...

  S has been reading a chapter of “Adam of the Road” to the boys each night before bed. She read an additional chapter this morning at the beginning of our “rest” day inside the tent. The story took a tough turn when something happened to Bayard, the warrior horse prized by Adam...

  A few days ago, I found two things that had been lost in my luggage: 10,000 Icelandic Krona (two bills that added up to a little less than $100) and a special charger for E’s camera. I’d been searching for those items for days … and it was a great relief when they were...